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PLAY WITH CURIOUS GEORGE

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Writer and illustrator H.A. (Hans) Rey grew up near the famous Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany. He married writer Margret Waldstein in 1935 while living in Brazil selling bathtubs.

They moved to Paris, where H.A.'s first children's book, Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys,was published in 1939.

The manuscript for CuriousGeorge was one of five that the Reys brought with them when they fled Paris in 1940 — just hours ahead of Hitler's invading army — on bicycles they built from spare parts. They made it safely out of France to the United States (via ships, not on the bikes) and settled in Greenwich Village.

Curious George was published in the United States in 1941. Over the following 25 years, Margret and H.A. wrote six more Curious George stories.

Curious George has always enjoyed an enduring popularity. The mischievous monkey has been instantly familiar for generations. Over 30 million copies of Curious George books. have been sold worldwide, with versions published in 16 languages, including Yiddish, Afrikaans, and Braille.

In 1989, Margret established The Curious George Foundation to fund programs for children that share Curious George's irresistible qualities: curiosity in learning, exploring, ingenuity, opportunity, and determination.